People of Conscience
by junienmomo
Summary: This is the partner story to my Luke story Man of Conscience. BOLD text is the character, ITALIC is the conscience.
1. It's My Birthday

People of Conscience

It's My Birthday

* * *

 **Luke**

 **It's her birthday. I'm really ready this time.**

 _Uh-huh._

 **Got the date planned. Got the presents, really great presents, I might add. Even got a new outfit.**

 _None of that strikes you as odd?_

 **Nope.**

 _Are you having a good time?_

 **Yep. She's telling a story about Darfur.**

 _Do you even know where Darfur is?_

 **Nope, don't care. Gotta be ready for my side of the conversation. Gotta have a story of my own.**

 _She's talking about war, refugees and starvation. Doesn't that strike you as unusual for a birthday celebration?_

 **Nah, she talks about that stuff all the time. Oh! My turn.**

 _Nice story. Cute stuff about the townies. Very amusing._

 **I got more of them lined up.**

 _You planned to tell that story? Most people's stories tend to flow from the overall conversation._

 **I don't have any stories about starvation. Except the one when Lorelai comes into the diner starved, which isn't as much a story as it is an everyday occurrence.**

 _Good call on not telling that story. Certainly better than the whole "symmetrical eyes" bit._

 **Hey, you know what? I'm on a date here. I'm supposed to want to be here. Oops, time for my next story.**

 _Are you using a cheat sheet?_

 **Shut up. I'm killing here. She's even laughing. A couple of notes on the back of an order ticket isn't a cheat sheet.**

 _Are you sure this is what you want?_

 **She's here. She wants me. She loves me. It's what I wanted ever since I was a teenager.**

 _Are you sure it's still what you want?_

 **I'm supposed to want this. She's a great girl. Now for my last story and her gift.**

 _There's a difference between wanting and 'supposed to want.'_

 **Look, she really likes the gifts. She's even tearing up. Guess I really knocked it out of the park this time.**

* * *

 **Rachel**

 **It's my birthday!**

 _Congratulations. Looks like you finally got it all. The job, the guy. He's even putting in extra effort tonight._

 **He does look nice, doesn't he? I'm glad. It's time we settled down, put down roots.**

 _You'll get to have a lot more birthdays like this, then, right?_

 **Yes, just me and Luke. Maybe I'll even convince him to come on a couple of trips.**

 _You'll probably want to spend some time taking care of those roots first: watering, tamping down, weeding, fertilizing. Might take a couple of years._

 **I still have to earn a living.**

 _There are plenty of ways to earn a living in the area. You can make portraits, write a book, do weddings. That's how you fertilize the roots._

 **I miss the excitement of places like Darfur.**

 _That was a good story. Look, he's telling one now. He really is putting in an effort._

 **Oh. Um, that really is one not annoying kid. Cute story about her first kiss. Doose's Market and all.**

 _Yeah. Remember that orphan in Darfur you adopted? Cute kid too._

 **I miss her still. It was hard to say goodbye.**

 _At least she died knowing she was loved._

 **That was another cute story, all the townies gathered together for a caterpillar funeral.**

 _Uh-huh._

 **I could probably make a little money running down to New York once in a while, doing photo essays and stuff like that. Might have to spend a few nights there sometimes.**

 _You could stay with Luke's sister. Maybe you and he could go together._

 **He'd never be able to get away from the diner. Anyway, Liz is kind of out there.**

 _Say, isn't that outfit one of those …_

 **No. I'm pretty sure he had it in his closet the last time I was here.**

 _Uh-huh._

 **Are you going to say 'uh-huh' every time you don't believe me?**

 _Yes. By the way, I'm your conscience. It's not ME not believing you, it's YOU not believing you._

 **Will you listen to that? Luke Danes has a third story. I've never had to listen to him so often in my life. Maybe he really has changed. I mean, he gave me a drawer. Cleaned it out and everything.**

 _I agree, he really has changed. I wonder what convinced him to change his mind about the drawer?_

 **Erp. They arrested the clown at an eight year old's birthday party.**

 _His belt looks new._

 **Shut up. It's time for my present. I wonder what kind of unicorn it will be this time?**

 _Oh my, that is a beautiful camera bag. Smell the leather._

 **Beautiful. This time he really knocked it out of the park. Oh! A book too.**

 _Out of Africa. You've been wanting to read that, haven't you?_

 **Yes, weirdly enough I was just talking about that book the other day, with uh, … oh.**

 _You'll get to have a lot more birthdays like this._

 **Like this, huh?**

 _Those pants look like they've never been worn. The sweater, no pills on it anywhere._

 **You know, I'm not so sure roots are a good thing for me.**

 _No, probably not. You haven't been to Tibet in a while. How about Tibet?_

 **It was supposed to be MY birthday, dammit.**

* * *

Fin


	2. Five Minutes

People of Conscience

Format: As in the previous chapters, **BOLD** is the character, _ITALIC_ is the conscience.

Five Minutes

* * *

 **Lane**

 **I have to get this job.**

 _You "have to get" everything you want._

 **So? I know what I want and I want this job.**

 _Are you ready for the interview? I mean, it's Luke Danes. Clearly this is going to be a tough interview._

 **God, don't I know it.**

 _Got a resume?_

 **No, are you kidding? Only Kirk has a resume. It's a job at a diner. I filled out the application. Not to mention the fact that I've lived across the square from Luke's my whole life.**

 _Do you have your answers to the standard interview questions ready? What are your career goals?_

 **He's not gonna ask me what my career goals are. This is not a career, it's schlepping food to people at tables, trying not to spill it and cleaning up after they leave.**

 _It's a career to him. It's his business, his livelihood. He loves it so much he lives above the diner._

 **That was his description of the job, minus the swear words.**

 _What? You're worried that your mother won't like you repeating the swear words in your head?_

 **Of course not. It's not like she's in my head.**

 _Lane Kim, put that down now!_

 **Yes, Mama. … Hey! Pretty good impression. Don't ever do it again.**

 _Lane Kim, what did I tell you about no boys?_

 **It's not a boy, Mama, it's Luke. … What did I tell you about not doing it again?**

 _Why don't you open with the bit about telling Luke he's not a boy?_

' **Cause I'm not suicidal. Also, those are things I tell Mama. To the rest of the world I live in reality.**

 _Another interview question: Why do you want this job?_

 **Because I want to serve my fellow man.**

 _You think Luke likes jokes?_

 **I know he does. He's always playing subtle tricks on people. Rory's always telling me how he flirts with Lorelai. And then there's Kirk.**

 _What are you going to do if he doesn't offer you the job?_

 **I'll do what Lorelai does, talk until he gives in.**

 _Pretty good method. Seems to work well for her._

 **Duh, he can't say no to Lorelai. If that doesn't work, I'll remind him of Butt-napkin Boy.**

 _Good choice. By the way, did you talk to your dad before applying for the job?_

 **He's too busy in his new job. Long commute, we hardly see him. Anyway, if I did, then Mama would find out and she'd forbid me from working in the Devil's Kitchen.**

 _Yeah, those French fries are a gateway food. Next thing you know you'll be eating meat._

 **A burger every day would be heaven. I gotta get this job.**

 _Why did everyone call your dad Asian Caesar?_

 **They didn't until non-Asian Caesar came along.**

 _Why did everyone call your dad Caesar anyway? It's not his name._

 **He took pity on Luke, because Luke couldn't pronounce his name. Caesar started with C and since Ch'anyom starts with C, Dad told him that Caesar was his nickname.**

 _Who knew the guy who replaced your dad would actually be named Caesar?_

 **Yeah, that's kinda weird. I'll have to ask him if Caesar's really his name. It probably is, because he's Hispanic and Luke speaks Spanish just fine. No pronunciation problems there.**

 _Hey, he's starting to say something. Maybe the interview's starting._

 **The interview's been going on for almost five minutes already, couldn't you tell? It's a common interview trick to have a long pause to see how the candidate will react to the stress.**

 _Luke looks more stressed than you do. Did you see him fidget, and look worried and look at you like you were going to get mad at him?_

 **I didn't see any of that. We've been too busy practicing these interview questions. I gotta get this job. I really want this job. If he turns me down, I'm going to remind him that I'm a hard worker and a good planner. I'm always on time, I can schedule, and I can keep my mouth shut and not get involved in the customer's business.**

 _Oh! He just asked "How ya doing?" Now's your chance to wow him with your skills! Man, is he a high-pressure interviewer. I hope he won't be too hard to work for._

 **I'll wait until he asks me an actual question. Gotta ease into the interview.**

 _Huh? What? That was it? You got the job?_

 **That was a really hard interview – I never expected him to use the "silent pressure" technique. But I got the job! I got the job! Yay! I gotta run somewhere! I got the job!**

* * *

 **Luke**

 **Lane really did apply for this job. It wasn't Kirk applying under a stolen identity again.**

 _Wow. My favorite was when he applied under Taylor's name. You were about to blow a gasket until you saw it was Kirk._

 **Kirk's an idiot.**

 _We've established that a few times already. How about Lane?_

 **Really smart kid. Clever too. Certainly gonna be better than Brennan.**

 _Butt-napkin Boy! Loved him!_

 **I wonder if she's as good as her father was.**

 _Probably better. Faster in any case. This girl can run. And think on her feet._

 **Oh yeah. Wonder why we never got her on the softball team?**

 _Maybe it was that little thing about her mother thinking that all boys are the spawn of Satan._

 **Still, she would have been great.**

 _Can you honestly imagine her swatting her teammates' butts?_

 **We don't do that. Ever.**

 _I was just asking you to imagine it._

 **Eww. Help me with my interview. I'm about to blow it.**

 _You do remember you're the boss?_

 **Yeah, but I never know which questions to ask. I mean, it's a diner job. She'll schlep food to people at tables, try not to spill it and clean up after they leave. Not exactly rocket surgery.**

 _Rocket surgery?_

 **Yeah, what's wrong with that? It's difficult, right? That's the point I was making.**

 _Name a rocket surgeon. Any rocket surgeon._

 **No time for your silliness. Gotta focus on Lane. The interview.**

 _Ask her how to pronounce her dad's name._

 **Caesar? What's so hard about Caesar?**

 _Her dad's name wasn't Caesar, he just told you that because you couldn't pronounce his Korean name._

 **Seriously? What was his real name?**

 _Ch'anyom._

 **Jenny Em?**

 _That's why he told you everyone called him Caesar._

 **Oh. I wonder what Lane's Korean name is. Maybe I should ask that.**

 _Or maybe you should read that Small Business Newsletter again; you know, the one about fair hiring practices and harassment._

 **That would be a problem?**

 _Yes, use the name she gave you._

 **This is probably a bad idea. I never hired a girl before.**

 _The bad idea was not reading your Small Business Newsletter. You need to focus on the skills, not the gender._

 **What do I need to do if I hire a girl?**

 _Process the paperwork, train her and pay her._

 **That's it?**

 _If I had a face, I'd facepalm. Yes, that's all._

 **No special bathroom?**

 _You don't even have separate bathrooms for your customers. Everyone uses the same facilities._

 **So basically, I'm interviewing someone who is smart, reliable, energetic, flexible, organized, polite, hard-working and ready to start any time.**

 _Don't forget the most important characteristic._

 **What's that?**

 _She's not Kirk._

…

 **She took the job!**

 _Tough interview. You did good._

 **Thanks. It was nothing.**

 _True dat. Five minutes of sitting in silence, then you offered her the job. Not exactly rocket surgery._


	3. Crossing the Line

People of Conscience

Crossing the Line

* * *

 **A/N:** Format: As in the previous chapters, **BOLD** is the character, _ITALIC_ is the conscience.

* * *

 **Emily**

 **I don't understand why I can't see him. I'm his wife!**

 _The nurse is doing her job._

 **She is not. She's simply blocking me from seeing Richard.**

 _Her job is to let the doctors do their jobs. That means keeping interfering busybodies away from the patient._

 **But it's Richard! I can't let him just disappear. I've got to help him. What if he doesn't …**

 _Take it easy, these are the best doctors in the area. You should know, you paid for them._

 **Richard paid for them. I merely found the need, chose the hospital, negotiated the amount and made sure everything was properly done.**

 _Exactly. You and Richard are partners in this._

 **I need to make sure his care is properly done. There are a hundred things to organize, but this – this** _ **person**_ **is blocking me at every step.**

 _You know, she seems more like a high school coach than a nurse. Isn't that Joshua coming down the hall?_

…

 **Damn it! Joshua's disappeared too. Rory needs me. Where in the world is Lorelai?**

 _You know very well that if Lorelai knows, she's on her way._

 **More likely she's at home gloating that she didn't have to come to the party. Honestly I don't know what gets into that girl.**

 _She's not a girl anymore. The girl who needs your help is standing in front of you._

 **Lorelai still doesn't answer. God, I wish she were here.**

 _She always has something to say that breaks the tension. Sometimes it's not even intended to drive you crazy._

 **Oh please.**

 _Admit it. You need her here._

 **I need my family. And I need Richard. But all I get is paperwork to fill out. Insensitive paper peddlers!**

 _There's a familiar voice. This would be a good time to tell Lorelai you're grateful that she's here._

 **She convinced the nurse to go get more information. How does Lorelai do that? I will never understand how she does things like that.**

 _There's more of you in her than you might think. She learned a lot from you. Everything she accomplishes, though, always has that Lorelai finesse._

 **Wouldn't hurt if she'd show a little more Emily on occasion.**

 _It wouldn't hurt if you'd look for the common ground sometimes either._

 **I can't believe it. She was on a date. One of those townspeople obviously. How could she not simply apologize and come to the Christmas party? Then she would be among her own kind.**

 _She is among her own kind. Sooner or later you're going to have to accept it._

 **It's obviously going to be sooner if she brings her boyfriend with her to the hospital. He looks familiar. Have I met him already?**

 _Remember Rory's birthday party in Stars Hollow? Something about a steak, Porterhouse, I believe._

 **See? I was right. They must have been on a date and just don't want to admit it. Of course, dressed like that, I can understand why they wouldn't want to admit it. Who dresses for dates like that, in worn-out blue jeans and all scruffy?**

 _How about Lorelai and her 'townspeople?'_

 **There she goes again, hiding important parts of her life from me. Humph, he's got a rather dry sense of humor. He certainly gets a rise out of Lorelai.**

 _He seems to be her match in wit. Pretty eyes, too, and a wry smile. Doesn't that smile remind you of Richard's smile?_

 **Look! Lorelai went through the doors. I didn't know we could go through those doors.**

 _That's why it's good to have Lorelai around, isn't it?_

…

 **Now things are as they should be. His room is settled, let's go see him. What was going on with Lorelai?**

 _Why don't you ask her? At least you should insist she go in with you._

 **There is that man again. He's like her bodyguard.**

 _Be glad she has friends who want to take care of her and help her through times like this._

…

 **I will not cry. I cannot cry. Crying is not allowed. Why did I insist Richard wear this tie?**

 _Might be a good time to take a page out of Lorelai's book. Crying relieves a lot of stress._

 **Not for Emily Gilmore. I do not get stressed. I do not cry in public. Oh, that man is still here. I certainly do not cry in front of my daughter's boyfriends.**

 _Why not? He seems to be a helpful, comforting sort of person. He looks like he could handle an Emily Gilmore meltdown._

 **Emily Gilmore does not melt down. She is in control at all times. She must be. It's hot in here, I can hardly breathe.**

 _Open your collar._

 **Why not? The scruffy man next to me has a completely open shirt and isn't wearing his hat properly. Look at me, how do they say it?, 'getting down' with the townies.**

 _Please. Never utter those words again._

 **What if he dies? What shall I do? How can I have a life without Richard? Why can't I put down his tie? Why can't I fix this?**

 _It's OK if you need help. It's OK to ask for help. People just want to be helpful in times like this._

 **How could I insist Richard wear this tie to look nice for our guests? If he didn't wear the tie, if I had only had a casual party, none of this would have happened. I should have been a better wife.**

 _Now you're sounding crazy. You're a good wife._

 **Now Luke is sounding crazy. Who leaves his father's store intact, practically his father's whole life, untouched for years?**

 _How about if you change the words 'You're sounding crazy' to 'You must have loved him very much?'_

 **Or maybe 'he would have appreciated having his life's work being honored like that.'**

 _I think the 'he would have called me a damn fool' is probably the most correct. You're lucky Richard didn't say that to you after your insane demand to die first._

 **Maybe you're right about Luke's comforting nature. I can't believe I told him about Lorelai's relationship with Richard. What on earth possessed me to say such things to a stranger?**

 _He's a nice guy, isn't he?_

 **He's an idiot. He couldn't stop fidgeting long enough to admit that he cares for Lorelai. Does he think I'm stupid?**

 _He doesn't think you're stupid, he thinks he can hide his feelings for Lorelai from you. He's still an idiot, though. People need to say what's in their hearts. Leaving it bottled up doesn't do anyone any good._

 **Now that was another giveaway of his feelings for her – saying that I called him an idiot, but not her.**

 _You aren't any better, my dear, as long as you don't reach out to Lorelai._

 **I'm going to go wash my face.**

* * *

 **Luke**

 **Wow. That's a big voice coming out of a small person.**

 _Emily Gilmore, ladies and gentlemen._

 **Doesn't seem so bad. Lorelai's stories are pretty scary.**

 _Why is she surprised that Lorelai came?_

 **I dunno. It's what family does. She should come to see her father.**

 _Whoa, look at Lorelai handle that situation. She found a win-win situation for the nurse._

 **Yeah, pretty much the same way she handles guys who hit on her in the diner. I lose a lot of the traveling salesman business that way, but they're creeps anyway, so who cares.**

 _You care._

 **Not about traveling salesmen, I don't.**

 _But you're pleased that Lorelai rejects them._

 **You know what? We're here to help Lorelai. Shut up.**

 _You're also worried that she'll slice and dice you, too, if you turn on the patented Luke Danes charm._

 **Didn't I just tell you to shut up? And yeah.**

 _Uh-oh, Emily's discovered you._

 **Oh, crap.**

 _Ouch! Sliced and diced by Lorelai in four words._

 **See what I mean? I don't even have to hit on her to be rejected by her. Lorelai's a unilateral Luke-annihilator.**

 _I feel for you, man. Your best response – the dry sarcastic remark._

 **Why do you think I'm so good at it? She does this all the time.**

 _At least she apologized for once. Wonder if she meant it. Boy, Emily's not letting go of this, is she?_

 **Lorelai will end that discussion. See? Now I can relax for a minute.**

…

 **God, I hate hospitals.**

 _But you love Lorelai._

 **It's the waiting. Waiting and never knowing when you're going to be completely floored by four words.**

" _Your mother has cancer." I remember._

 **I've seen that face before. Emily looks like my father looked when he came out of Mom's hospital room.**

 _The not knowing?_

 **Yeah.**

 _I know._

 **When you hear the words, it's like you cross a line that you can never cross back over. Suddenly the whole family is on the journey with you.**

 _You're worried about Rory, aren't you?_

 **I'm worried about all of them, even Emily. Look at her sitting here, fiddling with that Brooks Brothers tie. I know exactly what's going on in her head. Trying to fix something that can't be fixed, doing anything she can to avoid thinking the worst. That's what all of them are doing right now. They crossed their line.**

 _You're here to help?_

 **No one can help. Their brains are mush right now, and it will take time for the fog to clear. I'm here in case they want something. And apparently for comic relief.**

 _Emily didn't think your story about the hardware store was funny. She was touched._

 **Now she's calling me an idiot.**

 _She really has your number._

 **Hey!**

 _Emily, in spite of her grief, worry and distraction, has recognized that her daughter has a thing for you. That's in addition to recognizing your feelings, Mr. "Might-as-well-tattoo-it-on-my-forehead."_

 **I'm out.**

 _No, you're not. You never will be. You crossed that line too._

* * *

 **A/N:** Be it heart problems, cancer, or any other serious disease, when a person crosses the line, they are changed forever. If any of your loved ones crosses their line, be their Luke. Be there for them. Just show up, tell them you care, do anything. It will help.


End file.
